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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPARKS & REC 2016-04-05 REGULAR MEETING M I N U T E S nd 752 REGULAR MEETING PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION CITY OF LIVONIA On May 4, 2016 the above meeting of the Parks and Recreation Commission of the City of Livonia was held in the Livonia Community Recreation Center conference room, 15100 Hubbard, Livonia, Michigan. Mark Johnson, Chairperson of the Commission, called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. Members present: Paul Condon, Cathy Kevra, Kevin Summers, Roger Walklin and, Mark Johnson Members absent: None Also present: Ted Davis, Superintendent Michelle Koppin, Asst. Superintendent Tom Murphy, Facility Manager Lauriel & Enrique Pardo, residents Tammy Wood, Compassion International Tom Daugherty Bill Grant, resident Stephen Tominac, resident Jennifer Lashbrook, Compassion International Upon a motion made by Mrs. Kevra seconded by Mr. Summers, it was th #3493-16 RESOLVED, that the Commission waive the reading of the minutes of the 749 Regular Meeting of the Commission held on February 3, 2016 and that the minutes be approved as submitted. A roll call vote was taken on the foregoing resolution with the following results: AYES: Condon, Kevra, Summers ABSTAIN: Walklin, Johnson The Chairperson declared the resolution adopted Upon a motion made by Mrs. Kevra seconded by Mr. Walklin, it was th #3494-16 RESOLVED, that the Commission waive the reading of the minutes of the 750 Regular Meeting of the Commission held on March 2, 2016 and that the minutes be approved as submitted. A roll call vote was taken on the foregoing resolution with the following results: AYES: Kevra, Summers, Walklin, Johnson ABSTAIN: Condon The Chairperson declared the resolution adopted Upon a motion made by Mr. Condon seconded by Mrs. Kevra, it was st #3495-16 RESOLVED, that the Commission waive the reading of the minutes of the 751 Commission Meeting 2 May 4, 2016 Regular Meeting of the Commission held on April 6, 2016 and that the minutes be approved as submitted. A roll call vote was taken on the foregoing resolution with the following results: AYES: Condon, Kevra, Johnson ABSTAIN: Summers and Walklin The Chairperson declared the resolution adopted Mr. Dougherty explained that he was here to request a reduced membership rate as he was a long time Livonia resident and has contributed a lot to the City but now due to health issues he lives outside of the City in a handicap equipped condo. Mr. Johnson said we will refer this to the Superintendent for consideration and will look into it. Mr. Dougherty asked how long it might take as he has to keep up his physical therapy. Mr. Johnson said less than a month. Mr. Dougherty thanked the Commission and said he loved living in Livonia. Mr. Dougherty left the meeting at 7:15 p.m. Mr. Grant said he purchased a membership on Monday and listed all his children but one of his children is 18 years old and a senior in high school but doesn’t live with him and he was told that that child couldn’t be on the membership. He said he doesn’t understand why. Mr. Davis explained that a family membership specifies that everyone must live at the same address. Mr. Johnson said those are the rules. Mr. Grant asked how he will get his refund. Mr. Davis said we will call you tomorrow and get that taken care of. Mr. Grant left the meeting at 7:20 p.m. Ms. Wood said that she sits on a board for Soldiers Around the World and they would possibly pick up the difference of Mr. Dougherty’s membership. Mr. Johnson said please make sure we have your contact information. Upon a motion made by Mr. Summers seconded by Mr. Walklin, it was #3496-16 RESOLVED, that the Commission move New Business 1 and 2 to the front of the agenda. A roll call vote was taken on the foregoing resolution with the following results: AYES: Condon, Kevra, Summers, Walklin and Johnson NAYS: None The Chairperson declared the resolution adopted Request from Walk With Compassion-To end child poverty to use Mies Park – Ms. Wood explained the event and said they are looking for a place to hold a walk on October 8th. She said they are requesting Mies Park as it is family oriented and they are not selling anything. Ms. Wood explained how the family sponsorships work and that they are expecting around 200 walkers from 6:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. Mrs. Kevra asked why they picked Mies Park? Ms. Woods said she lives near it and they like the track there and the parking. Mrs. Koppin asked if they have spoken with the school? Ms. Wood said not yet. Mr. Davis said the majority of the parking would be at the school and his concern is that the park by itself is not a large site. Mr. Condon suggested Bicentennial Park. Ms. Wood said they are looking for a loop. Mr. Johnson recommended they talk to the nearby church and school to get them on board. He said if they cooperate then that site will probably work otherwise we would have to find an alternative site that will accommodate them. Mrs. Kevra said it Commission Meeting 3 May 4, 2016 is a wonderful organization and we want you to be successful. Mr. Condon suggested they deal directly with Ted as we are all OK with it. Mr. Walklin said we could waive the fee for the pavilion that day. Upon a motion made by Mrs. Kevra seconded by Mr. Condon, it was #3497-16 RESOLVED, that the Commission supports the Walk with Compassion project with the location to be determined. A roll call vote was taken on the foregoing resolution with the following results: AYES: Condon, Kevra, Summers, Walklin and Johnson NAYS: None The Chairperson declared the resolution adopted Ms. Wood and Ms. Lashbrook left the meeting at 7:30 p.m. Letter submitted by Leo Soave Re: Request to purchase property at 9400 Stonehouse Ave. – Mr. Johnson noted that we received a letter from the Law Department. Mr. Davis said it was originally thought that the park was purchased through a grant but the City applied for the grant but didn’t receive any money for it. He said he has never seen any development plans for this park. There was a discussion regarding the aerial views. Mr. Walklin said Ted and I talked about developing the park but not a lot can be done and it would be expensive to develop. Mr. Johnson said because the City doesn’t own the parcel to the east, entry to the park would have to be off of Stonehouse. Mr. Condon said it might increase traffic. Mr. Johnson asked if there is a plan in the Master Park Plan to develop this? Mr. Davis said no. There was a discussion about nearby nature preserves. Mr. Johnson said the Law Department has no opinion but have any other departments chimed in? Mr. Davis said Planning is excited for a push for new housing. Mr. Condon said if the City sells this is there a guarantee that the estimated $200,000-$300,000 would stay in this Department? Mr. Davis said if we wanted to earmark this for other parks it would be hard for Council to ignore. Mr. Walklin asked for a rough budget number to utilize that space as a nature walk? Mr. Davis said probably $100,000 and to completely develop it would be a half million to ¾ million. Mr. Johnson verified that the property will sit there as it is today. Mr. Davis said the next area to develop is Dover. There was a discussion of the shape of the property. Mr. Davis said Soave is interested to come to a future meeting to discuss a possible development plan. Mr. Walklin asked if it is possible for the Commission to receive a report from staff on if there could be an agreement or working relationship with scout troops to implement a nature trail as they did at Bicentennial and Greenmead. He said he didn’t think we would ever have the capital to develop it into a park and it would take a tremendous amount of parking to make it a viable park. There was a discussion regarding if the developer would put a new road in for access off of Newburgh. Ms. Pardo showed where her property is on the aerial view and said they found out about this at a Council meeting and they are against it as they paid a premium for wooded lots there. Mr. Johnson asked if when they bought their lot, were they told that there would not be development there? Ms. Pardo said yes by the builder and the City. Mr. Johnson asked if Soave told them that he owned it? Ms. Pardo said Soave told them it was owned by Livonia Public Schools and another neighbor was told by the builder it was a nature preserve and couldn’t be developed. Mr. Summers asked if they have anything in writing? Ms. Pardo said no. Mr. Johnson said let’s get input regarding a staff of volunteers reworking it to be a nature trail. Mr. Walklin said we just need to work on funding for parking. He asked the time line from Soave. Mr. Johnson said Soave can’t do anything until the City makes a decision. Mr. Davis said he hasn’t heard from anyone on Council. Mr. Walklin asked Mr. Davis to get the Commission information before the next meeting. Mr. Johnson said we’ll leave this on as Old Business. Mr. and Mrs. Pardo and Mr. Tominac left the meeting at 8:00 p.m. Commission Meeting 4 May 4, 2016 Reports from Staff – Mr. Walklin asked what is the number of residents vs non-residents on the Men’s Basketball league? Mr. Davis said we do charge non-residents an additional fee but I will find out. Mr. Walklin asked about the air duct cleaning. Mr. Murphy said the air ducts located in leisure and lap pool areas will be cleaned. Mr. Walklin asked about the issues on the track. Mr. Davis explained the issues with people wandering onto the track. He said we will continue to monitor this and will work with LJAL to have a monitor there next season. Mrs. Koppin said we now have a check sheet for staff to notate when they have patrolled the track. Mr. Condon suggested putting a monitor there during peak hours. Mr. Davis said it is usually non-members on Saturdays and Sundays. He said we may have to stop having kid parties in the MPR. Mr. Condon said didn’t we once discuss getting a group of volunteers to patrol? Mr. Summers said he doesn’t see a problem with that but he uses the track on weekends and doesn’t see a problem there. Mr. Condon asked about the rubber fit hub floor. Mr. Murphy said we are replacing the flooring in the free weight section of the fit hub. Mr. Johnson asked if there have been any issues with bikes in the skate park? Mr. Murphy said no, there seems to be a lot of bikes out there. Mr. Davis said he looked for design differences between bike and skate parks and couldn’t find any. Mrs. Kevra asked about the Botsford Pool grant. Mr. Davis explained he wrote the grant 2 months ago for District 9 funds and the bids came back double what we expected so he has rewritten the grant to cover additional remarcite. Mrs. Kevra asked when it will be done? Mr. Davis said this year and Shelden will be repaired and Botsford will be redone. Mr. Davis said Mr. Varga applied for a Community Development Block Grant for Compton Park. Mrs. Koppin explained it will be a 20’ x 20’ pavilion and a small tot lot and said the goal is to have the work done by the end of August. Communications Green fee report – April – Mr. Johnson said we had a good start but it has cooled off. Mr. Davis said we’re still doing good year to date. Mr. Condon asked about some of the figures. Mr. Davis explained. Mr. Summers commented his son played Idyl Wyld and said it is in the best shape he has ever seen. Mr. Johnson said it is in very good shape. Mr. Davis said the bunkers need a little work. 409 Report – Mr. Walklin pointed out the contribution to the golf course of $100,000 less expenditures and said I told you this was going to happen. Mr. Davis explained that happened last year. There was a discussion about the three reports received from Finance. Mr. Davis said he spoke with Mr. Slater who said this was always taken out if the golf courses didn’t break even. It would always be taken out of 409 capital to balance out the golf course account. Mr. Walklin said he understands that and doesn’t care about the date but he just wanted to point out to Commissioners, remember what you were told. Mr. Johnson asked if at the end of fiscal year 2016 we will see another $100,000 taken out? Mr. Walklin said it wouldn’t surprise him. LCRC Package Totals – April 2016 – Mr. Johnson said we didn’t lose a whole lot between March and April. There was a discussion of the gentleman who asked for a refund earlier. LCRC Code of Conduct – There was nothing to report. Mr. Davis said we will have a significant amount to report next time and explained a recent incident. Commission Meeting 5 May 4, 2016 LCRC Comment Card Report – April 2016 – Mr. Johnson asked about one comment regarding a couch being too close to the wall. Mr. Davis explained. Mr. Walklin asked if it happens often that older people use the cabanas. Mr. Murphy said yes, according to ADA regulations you can’t ask people what their special needs are. Mr. Walklin asked about the thermometer in the men’s sauna. Mr. Murphy said it has been replaced. Mr. Walklin asked if automatic handicap doors have been looked into? Mr. Murphy said yes, they are $6,000 apiece. Mr. Walklin asked if anyone checked about the air circulation upstairs. Mr. Murphy said it gets air up there. Mr. Walklin recommended checking the regulations on the age for the spa. Mrs. Koppin stated the Michigan code states we have to have signage and we do. Mr. Davis said we can set any age restriction we want. Mr. Johnson said you can be stricter but not more lenient. There was a discussion of ages and law. Membership survey Spring 2016 – Mr. Davis said we sent out 4,400 surveys electronically and got 732 back with 435 having comments which I will share at the next meeting. Mr. Walklin said he liked that the questions were short and concise. Mr. Johnson said that the fact that 80% asked the front desk the most questions, shows the importance of the people skills at the front desk. There was a discussion of the responses. Old Business Clement Circle Pool – Mrs. Koppin passed out pictures of the progress so far. Mr. Davis said there is a settlement with Discount Pool and it will go to a closed council study meeting. He said Clement Circle and Botsford bath houses are getting remodeled and explained the changes. He said Discount Pool will do the work and we will get $83,000 from the insurance company with a savings of $100,000 by Discount doing the work. Mr. Condon asked if we were going to pay Discount Pool? Mr. Davis said it is the best way to get value out of Discount Pool. Mr. Condon said he doesn’t like it and Mr. Walklin said he agrees. Mr. Davis said Council will decide in the end but we could take the insurance company money and continue the lawsuit with Discount Pool and if we win we would simply put them out of business and then get nothing. Wolves and Hawks Soccer – Mr. Davis said he is disappointed that Ed does not want to see this as an amendment to the agreement, he wants it to be a letter of understanding that is not binding them in any way. He said Ed is taking it to his board meeting and I will update you when I get some information. Mr. Condon said we need to wait to see how the new dome impacts what they do. Letters to expired members – Mr. Davis said we have stopped the program as we can’t get correct reports from etrak and we are working on that. Bikes in skate park – Nothing was discussed. New Business Letter submitted by Tom Murphy approved for submission by Edward Davis Re: Petition signers and leaflet handouts – Mr. Johnson asked if we have had a problem with this. Mr. Davis said yes and Law doesn’t want to do an ordinance but recommends we add this into our House Rules. Mr. Johnson said my concern are the entry/exit areas as we would run into fire issues if they are blocked. Mr. Walklin said this is a community recreation center not a platform and as a member he Commission Meeting 6 May 4, 2016 personally doesn’t want people bothering me. Mr. Johnson said he is not sure if we can prevent this happening outside of the facility. Mr. Murphy said that is what Law says, that we can’t tell people what to do outside the building. Mr. Davis said we can ban them from inside the facility but Law says we can’t designate a distance from the outside of the building. Mr. Johnson asked if we can include “under the canopy” as indoors. Mr. Condon asked how big is the problem. Mr. Davis said it is not a big problem. He said we had more petition gatherers than election candidates. Upon a motion made by Mr. Summers seconded by Mrs. Kevra, it was #3498-16 RESOLVED, that the Commission approves prohibiting petition gathering or literature handouts done inside any recreation facility unless previously authorized by the Department. The Department will allow reasonable signature gathering outside the facilities as long as areas of entrance and exit are not blocked, no harassment, intimidation of people or general disruption of a person’s normal conduct to utilize the facility is done. A roll call vote was taken on the foregoing resolution with the following results: AYES: Condon, Kevra, Summers, Walkin and Johnson NAYS: None The Chairperson declared the resolution adopted Letter from Edward Davis Re: Fee increases for Community Center – Mr. Davis said we have judiciously looked at fees and charges and have done market analysis as well and only have a couple to recommend inside the community center and explained them. Upon a motion made by Mr. Condon seconded by Mr. Summers, it was #3499-16 RESOLVED, that the Commission approves the following fee increases which will go into effect December 1, 2016. PR# CURRENT RATES PROPOSED RATES 100 Days to Health PH R NR PH R NR Youth (4-18) 3445-15 N/A $35 $40 N/A $40 $45 Adult (19-61) 3445-15 N/A $45 $50 N/A $50 $55 Senior (62-up) 3445-15 N/A $40 $45 N/A $45 $50 Family (up to 6 people) 3445-15 N/A $75 $90 N/A $80 N/C Indoor Swim Lessons $6.75 $7.50 $8.50 $7.00 $8.50 $10.00 :50 per lesson fee Indoor Swim Lessons $5.25 $6.75 $8.00 $5.50 $7.25 $9.00 :30 per lesson fee 25 yard lane rental/hr. N/A $8.75 $10.75 N/A $10.00 $12.00 A roll call vote was taken on the foregoing resolution with the following results: AYES: Condon, Kevra, Summers, Walkin and Johnson NAYS: None The Chairperson declared the resolution adopted Letter from Edward Davis Re: Fee increases for Outdoor Programs – Mr. Davis explained the fees and said the last fee increases were 6-10 years ago. He explained that he tried to base pavilion rental fees on capacity so in some cases fees were lowered for smaller pavilions and raised for medium to large. Mr. Condon asked about the Rotary Pavilion 1 increase and said it is probably the Commission Meeting 7 May 4, 2016 most used. Mr. Davis said it is because regardless of the number of people you have, if it is available you will take it because it is currently the same price as the small ones. He said this will make it more fair. The Commission agreed that we can’t wait so long between increases. Upon a motion made by Mr. Summers seconded by Mr. Walklin, it was #3500-16 RESOLVED, that the Commission approves the following fee increases Program/Facility Resident Rate NR Rate Proposed Resident Proposed NR Park Pavilions: Clements Circle Pavilions (25-30 capacity) $65.00 $135.00 No change No Change Mies Park (25-30 capacity) $65.00 $135.00 No change No Change Rotary #2 (25-35 capacity) $75.00 $145.00 $65.00 $135.00 Rotary # 5 (25-30 capacity) $75.00 $145.00 $65.00 $135.00 Shelden Park (25-30 capacity) $65.00 $135.00 No change No Change Bicentennial Park (25-70 capacity) $65.00 $135.00 $100.00 $175.00 Rotary #3&4 (75-85 capacity) $75.00 $145.00 $100.00 $175.00 Stymelski Veterans (25-80 capacity) $65.00 $135.00 $100.00 $175.00 Rotary #1 (100-200 capacity) $75.00 $145.00 $125.00 $200 Adult Leagues: Mens Slowptich Softball $400.00 $30/NR max $210 $425.00 $30/NR max $210 Womens Slowpitch Softball $400.00 $30/NR max $210 $425.00 $30/NR max $210 Coed Slowpitch Softball $400.00 $30/NR max $210 $425.00 $30/NR max $210 Mens Modified Softball $400.00 $30/NR max $210 $425.00 $30/NR max $210 Collegiate Baseball $700.00 $30/NR max $210 $900.00 $30/NR max $210 Men's Basketball $400.00 $30/NR max $210 $425.00 $30/NR max $210 Field Permits: Standard Field/hr. $15.00 $30.00 $20.00 $35.00 Premium Field/hr. $20.00 $40.00 $30.00 $50.00 Outdoor Swimming: 50 M Lane Rental/hr. $10.00 $10.00 $11.25 $12.75 Swim lessons - per :50 lesson $5.75 $6.50 $6.50 $7.75 Playground Program: 1 Child $100.00* N/A $125.00* $200.00* 2 Children $180.00* N/A $225.00* $360.00* 3 Children $240.00* N/A $300.00* $480.00* 4 Children $300.00* N/A $375.00* $600.00* *+$10 material fee/child Commission Meeting 8 May 4, 2016 A roll call vote was taken on the foregoing resolution with the following results: AYES: Condon, Kevra, Summers, Walkin and Johnson NAYS: None The Chairperson declared the resolution adopted X-Item Sublease agreement Livonia Public Schools – Mr. Johnson said that as he stated at the last meeting he will not be participating in the discussion or the vote because he is a member of the school board as well as the Commission. Mr. Davis explained this is a new sub-lease agreement with Livonia Public Schools. He said we have been on a month to month lease since 2008 and haven’t had an increase in lease payments since then. He said he and the Mayor met with Lisa Abbey and Andrea because we need a commitment from LPS. Mr. Davis said this is a one year lease with a second option with fee increases built in for the first and second year. He stated the total cost of the gymnastic facility to us is $120,000 and we are at $62,500 now. Mr. Condon said his concern is if we talk about expanding the fit hub now we are locking up the area for 1-2 years. He said the membership is going down and our numbers would go up if we had a bigger fit hub. Mr. Davis said he would be happy to put this aside if we were going to cross that bridge. Mr. Walklin said they are not going to leave and they were instrumental in getting the LCRC passed. He said if we move to increase the fit hub we can cancel before the second year but you will have to come up with the money and a plan. He said there will be a furor if there is a move to allocate some of that area into fitness. Mr. Davis said to take some of the area away would be kicking them out. Mr. Murphy said of their 400 participants, 20% are community center members. There was a discussion of Livonia City Soccer considering an expansion on this site. Upon a motion made by Mr. Condon seconded by Mrs. Kevra, it was #3501-16 RESOLVED, that the Commission recommends that the City Council authorize the Mayor and the City Clerk to execute a Sub-lease Agreement with Livonia Public Schools School District for the gymnastics area at the Jack E. Kirksey Community Center for a period of one (1) year from July 1, 2016 through June 30, 2017 for $66,271 with an option for a second year at $68,922. A roll call vote was taken on the foregoing resolution with the following results: AYES: Condon, Kevra, Summers and Walkin ABSTAIN: Johnson The Chairperson declared the resolution adopted The Chairperson called the meeting adjourned at 9:30 p.m. MARK JOHNSON, CHAIRPERSON PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION NEXT MEETING: WEDNESDAY, JUNE 1, 2016 AT 7:00 P.M.